**Review of first 5 chapters**

I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JUNE FOR THE REST OF THE BOOK!!!!!!!!! I got a preview of the first five chapters from the publisher & Netgalley and oh. my. god. It is already unbearably HOT. Sign me up for everything Katee Robert writes THANK YOU.

The little preview was absolutely delicious, and left me wanting more more more (as Katee Robert always does). Being the third installment of the Dark Olympus series, much of the world building has already been established so readers really get to dive right into the story.

Helen has such a rich personality, and I'm looking forward to learning more of her backstory, along with the power struggle of her family dynamics.

I was given an arc of the first couple chapters of this book for an honest review from NetGalley.

This teaser just whetted my appetite for more. Katee Roberts is a genius who knows how to write complex characters that grab you from the first page and suck you in. Plus her smut is top-knotch. She is absolutely and autobuy author for me and I will preorder every book she writes without hesitation.

Typos:
Page 7: “No surprises the.” (Correction: *then)
Page 25: “…can I be Ares when Patroclus named me Ares’s wife? (Correction: *Perseus)
(Second correction: *Ares’ - you do not need a double ‘s’ but it is used throughout the entire sample)

Review: Chapters 1-5

I have not yet read ANY of the Dark Olympus novels so I take the unique view of gauging how easy it is to read these books out of publishing order.

I will say, it’s easy to get into the novel with no prior experience. I know I missed out on Hades and Persephone, and on Eros and Psyche, all of whom are bit characters in the sample, but I don’t feel as if I am missing important information. I would say that each of the novels could stand on their own.

I do not love the writing style, it’s all tell, no show. A lot of the sentences are kind of confusing, and don’t flow. I know that I prefer a much more flowery, purple prose, but this style is so blunt that it’s jarring.

And I don’t love the liberties taken with mythological characters, namely that the main character is Helen and not Briseis, who would make more sense being Achilles and Patroclus’ third. This deviates a little too much to be a retelling in the truest sense of the word.

I am interested to give this series an honest try, from the beginning.

I need the rest of this book ASAP!!! Already love Helen as a character, and cannot wait to see al the trouble she stirs in Olympus. Like the previous two books, this world is so easy to fall back into, and I love reading casual mentions of the characters we've grown to love earlier in the series. I also love the idea of a competition to become the new Ares - I always enjoy this theme in books, and cannot wait to see who wins. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book, and seeing the dynamic between Helen, Achilles and Patroclus. Based off this small snippet, this is already sizing up to be my favourite book in the Dark Olympus series thus far.

A spectacular beginning to her next installment of Dark Olympus! I love the dynamic between Achilles and Patroclus, and Helen is a force to be reckoned with. I cannot wait for the full book to release!

Love the city of Olympus and its citizens. The drama, the romance, the suspense.... I have been intrigued by Helen ever since the last book in the series.... The first few chapters are exciting so far. Can't wait to read the rest of the book.

Thanks to the publisher for the preview of the first few chapters.

Really interested in where this one is going. I love game aspects to books to really looking forward to seeing some more plot as the last two were mostly character driven. Helen seems very similar than the previous two heroines (pretty girl with a public persona but more than meets the eye) but the relationship between Petroclus and Achilles is very sweet. Nice to see a more cinnamon roll type hero in Petroclus.

As part of this preview, you get a four chapter preview. After reading, I am intrigued to see how the story turns out but without context of previous books. It can be a little confusing - there are lots of characters and the point of view hops around a bit.

This book is genuinely not for me. I did find the descriptions a bit jarring as a non-American reader. It was bizarre referring to people as “white woman” for example. It was also a touch weird to read about Ancient Greek mythological figures with such “Americanised” voices. That’s totally fine for the author to do, it’s just little things that were super jarring for me. This one’s not for me but I wish the author all the best! I know this is a highly anticipated instalment in the series and I’m grateful for the opportunity to try it.

Once again we plunge into the glittering city of Olympus as we join Helen, Achilles, and Patroclus as they compete for the newly vacant title of Ares.

Helen as Ares?! I can hardly wait! This is going to be fantastic!!! I already adore this series and Helen was such a fun character in Electric Idol! So excited to learn more about her!

I LOVED this little preview. I’m obsessed with Katee’s work and I can’t wait to have my hands on the full copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and sourcebooks for this preview.
This preview has a few chapters and it was soo interesting, it had me hooked from the start. The twist in this Achilles and Patroclus retelling is intense and i CAN'T wait for this to be released fully.

I’m not sure if it was rough start because this is the first I’ve read of Katee Robert. It seemed like I was in the middle of a story instead of the beginning of the book. Was thinking maybe I need to read the first two first. Won’t know until I do. It did get better and the hot and spicy scenes didn’t disappoint. I will have to go and read the other books.

The first five chapters were great!!! I can not wait to finish the rest! 5 stars. I really enjoy getting to see more of this world and exploring the structure of it.

This review is for the first 5 chapters that I was allowed to preview thanks to NetGalley.

I cannot wait to read the rest of this book! If it's half as good as the first 5 chapters, I know I'll fly through this story and be a very happy reader by the end. Katee Robert has not disappointed me yet with her two previous books in this series, or her Wicked Villains series for that matter.

I appreciate this new take on Achilles x Patroclus by adding Helen as a new element in their relationship.
Helen seems like such a strong character who will fight for what she wants. Being able to learn more about her as the story progresses, as well as how she will fit into the dynamic with Achilles and Patroclus is so intriguing.

This is my first book from Katee Robert and I’m definitely intrigued by this modern retelling of the Olympic gods as Helen wishes to become a part of the ruling thirteen. Zeus has offered her up as part of the winners prize, but she wishes to compete on her own. From the sample portion of the story I read, I can tell that this is going to be a scorching, emotion filled read. A gesture as simple as leaning on someone for support while putting on her shoe invokes intense reactions, not only between Helen and Patroclus, but between partners Achilles and Patroclus. I know this will be good and can’t wait to read the rest of the story!

This 5 chapter preview was so good! I can already tell the dynamic between the three main characters is definitely going to be interesting. I'm excited to see where the rest of the story goes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this preview copy provided by NetGalley. Lots of characters, but such an interesting take on Greek Gods and Goddesses. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the rest of this book when it releases.